After three terms on the Austin City Council, first from 1997 to 2000 and then from 2009 to present, Council Member Bill Spelman is retiring from his nonpaying city gig. Professor Spelman, who also teaches courses in applied math and statistics, urban policy and public management at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the […]
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Posted inCity Council, Development, Local Politics, Resources, Transportation
Riley looks beyond rail bond loss to Austin’s future
Council Member Chris Riley started his look back at 2014 with an examination of the transportation situation faced by the City of Austin. Rather than lock on to the November failure of a $600 million rail bond that would have included promises for $400 million more in road construction, however, Riley looked at the larger […]
Posted inAustin, City Hall, Development
Audit reveals big trouble with PDR fees
A city audit of the Planning and Development Review Department has found that the Office of the City Auditor “cannot provide assurance that development-related fees are charged accurately and consistently.” In one part of the audit, 40 percent of the fee transactions tracked were incorrect. The audit evaluated 30 transactions, and found that 12 were […]
Posted inAustin, City Hall, Development
BOA sides with staff on neighborhood appeal
Plans for a home at 2015 Goodrich Ave. will go on after the Board of Adjustment ruled against a neighborhood appeal earlier this month. Before the appeal reached the earlier hearing, three of the neighborhood’s other complaints had been resolved. The remaining issue of the appeal was whether the home’s attic exemption complied with the requirements […]
Posted inAustin, Development, Resources, Water
Reporter’s Notebook: City cuts ribbon on WTP4
After 30 years, WTP4 finally begins pumping water … Do you remember what you were doing in September 1984? If you lived in Austin and were of voting age, you may have voted “yes” to allow the city to go into debt to build a new water treatment plant to serve the growing northwest part […]
Posted inPremium Types
Tip Sheet: Travis County Commissioners 12-23
The Travis County Commissioners Court meets at 9 a.m. Tuesday. In the interest of space, we’ve decided not to post the entire agenda here. The County Clerk’s office posts a copy at its website. Items of interest for Commissioners Court include: 14. CONSIDER AND TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION REGARDING RATIFICATION OF MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN TRAVIS […]
Posted inAustin, City Council, Local Politics
Adler talks about his agenda for new Council
Mayor-elect Steve Adler has proclaimed that his administration will give Austin “a new way forward.” He has talked of the 10-1 system as a restart for city government. Now Adler has to put forth some concrete ideas and get his new City Council colleagues on board with a plan that he believes will be more […]
Posted inAustin, Environment, Roads, Transportation, Travis County
County seeks federal guidance on SH45 SW project
Travis County is asking the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for “guidance” on how to avoid environmental damage to the sensitive Flint Ridge Cave during the construction and operation of the proposed State Highway 45 Southwest toll road. County officials are requesting that representatives from Fish and Wildlife meet in January with the parties responsible […]
Posted inCity Hall, Courts, Local Politics
Zimmerman drops lawsuit, but case goes forward
On Thursday, after hearing from attorneys for District 6 City Council Member-elect Don Zimmerman and the Austin Bulldog about Zimmerman’s lawsuit against the website and its publisher, Ken Martin, Judge Amy Clark Meachum ruled in favor of the Bulldog on the question of whether the court has jurisdiction to hear the journalist’s motion for award […]
Posted inAustin, Bicycles, City Council, Parks, Transportation
Longer hike-and-bike trail hours on the way
As a parting gesture, City Council members finally found a way to keep some of the city’s hike-and-bike trails open a little longer. At their final meeting, Council members unanimously approved an ordinance that will allow the Parks and Recreation Department director to set operating hours to something other than the standard hours, which are […]
Posted inAustin, City Hall, Development
ZAP gives Spicewood Springs project new life
After a denial from City Council earlier this year, the developer of the Overlook at Spicewood Springs has returned with a compromise. Currently, the property at 4920 Spicewood Springs Road is undeveloped. The developer is seeking a zoning change from SF-2 to Limited Office (LO). It was Plan B for the developer, who unsuccessfully sought […]
Posted inAustin, Elections, Local Politics, Radio
Austin Monitor Radio: Election Result Analysis
Jo Clifton and Mike Kanin analyze the final results of the 2014 Austin City Council elections. The show is posted here, below: [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/182171388″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]